A 10-year VMware agreement gives NTT DOCOMO, INC. software and support from Broadcom Inc. for its private cloud, as the Japanese carrier plans upgrades intended to avoid service interruptions.
The contract covers licenses, technical assistance and maintenance for VMware Cloud Foundation and other products. Broadcom called it its first comprehensive VMware agreement of this length in Japan. The package also includes products for managing network traffic, security and application development.
VMware began working with DOCOMO on the private cloud in 2019. Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware in November 2023. The new agreement extends support for infrastructure DOCOMO already uses to deliver digital services.
Broadcom said the companies plan to keep services running during upgrades, strengthen security patching and improve detection of unusual activity. They also aim to automate parts of development and operations to release new features faster.
Broadcom says it plans to provide DOCOMO with a private-cloud platform for virtual machines, containers and AI workloads. The company cited growing AI use and more sophisticated cyberattacks as reasons for the work. It has not reported measured improvements in reliability, security or delivery speed from the new agreement.
Hiroshi Ishimaru, general manager of NTT DOCOMO, INC.'s Service Design Department, said the carrier aims to keep existing services reliable while delivering new value to customers more quickly and reliably. Broadcom expects DOCOMO customers to benefit from more dependable services and faster access to new features.
Broadcom did not disclose the contract value, payment terms or number of licenses. It also gave no precise start and end dates for the 10-year term or timetable for the planned upgrades.
